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by ****** » Tue Sep 28, 2010 10:04 pm

The bloodshed begins at DC, where we are beginning to see the first fallout of the "realignment" that occured last week.

When news broke last week that DC would be going through a "bi-coastal realignment" and ceasing operation of the WildStorm imprint, many fans held out hope that Vertigo, the critically successful and beloved imprint that has been home to acclaimed titles such as Sandman, Preacher, Y: The Last Man and Fables, would remain virtually untouched. Others, however, feared that the writing was on the wall for Vertigo since DC first restructured months ago, naming Dan Didio and Jim Lee as new Co-Publishers, without any kind of promotion for Vertigo's Editor in Chief Karen Berger, seemingly placing Vertigo lower on the totem pole. In the following months several Vertigo books have met with cancellation doom, most notably the critically acclaimed Unknown Soldier and Air, while other projects, such as Madame Xanadu and a planned new Swamp Thing, were ended as part of an initiative to bring DC Universe properties back into the DCU.

Now it's not just titles on the chopping block at Vertigo, but staff as well. As DC reportedly moves to eliminate or relocate 80 of its 250 employees, three Vertigo editors have already been let go. Joan Hilty, Pornsak Pichetshote and Jonathan Vankin. Hilty oversaw books in both the DCU And Vertigo and handled Original Graphic Novel acquisitions along with Vankin, who oversaw books such as Hellblazer and the Vertigo Crime line. Perhaps the biggest surprise is Pichetshote, who edited some of Vertigo's most popular titles like The Unwritten, Sweet Tooth, and DC Superstar Grant Morrison's Joe the Barbarian.

The Outhouse and comic fans everywhere are saddened to see competent and successful professionals lose their positions, and we wish them the best of luck in moving forward with their careers. Marvel's upcoming Crossgen imprint could certainly use some good people!

While Vertigo titles may not sell as well in comic shops as Marvel or DCU titles, they do tend to have a loyal readership, and are particularly popular as trades in the bookstore market. With many Vertigo writers moving up to write major DC books, it seemed that DC respected the imprint as at least a good farm system, but that may not protect it from a house cleaning by Warner Bros. overlords. We'll just have to wait and see.

This event was brought to our attention by Outhouse Review Group Tyrant John Snow, who posted the original story and the commentary "Okay, now I'm worried."

******

The bloodshed begins at DC, where we are beginning to see the first fallout of the "realignment" that occured last week.

When news broke last week that DC would be going through a "bi-coastal realignment" and ceasing operation of the WildStorm imprint, many fans held out hope that Vertigo, the critically successful and beloved imprint that has been home to acclaimed titles such as Sandman, Preacher, Y: The Last Man and Fables, would remain virtually untouched. Others, however, feared that the writing was on the wall for Vertigo since DC first restructured months ago, naming Dan Didio and Jim Lee as new Co-Publishers, without any kind of promotion for Vertigo's Editor in Chief Karen Berger, seemingly placing Vertigo lower on the totem pole. In the following months several Vertigo books have met with cancellation doom, most notably the critically acclaimed Unknown Soldier and Air, while other projects, such as Madame Xanadu and a planned new Swamp Thing, were ended as part of an initiative to bring DC Universe properties back into the DCU.

Now it's not just titles on the chopping block at Vertigo, but staff as well. As DC reportedly moves to eliminate or relocate 80 of its 250 employees, three Vertigo editors have already been let go. Joan Hilty, Pornsak Pichetshote and Jonathan Vankin. Hilty oversaw books in both the DCU And Vertigo and handled Original Graphic Novel acquisitions along with Vankin, who oversaw books such as Hellblazer and the Vertigo Crime line. Perhaps the biggest surprise is Pichetshote, who edited some of Vertigo's most popular titles like The Unwritten, Sweet Tooth, and DC Superstar Grant Morrison's Joe the Barbarian.

The Outhouse and comic fans everywhere are saddened to see competent and successful professionals lose their positions, and we wish them the best of luck in moving forward with their careers. Marvel's upcoming Crossgen imprint could certainly use some good people!

While Vertigo titles may not sell as well in comic shops as Marvel or DCU titles, they do tend to have a loyal readership, and are particularly popular as trades in the bookstore market. With many Vertigo writers moving up to write major DC books, it seemed that DC respected the imprint as at least a good farm system, but that may not protect it from a house cleaning by Warner Bros. overlords. We'll just have to wait and see.

This event was brought to our attention by Outhouse Review Group Tyrant John Snow, who posted the original story and the commentary "Okay, now I'm worried."

Rain Partier

BlueStreak wrote:Well, shit. Besides having one of the most awesome names in comics, Pornsak Pichetshote edited all awesome books. He even managed to keep Grant Morrison reigned in for Joe the Barbarian.

Best of luck at Marvel when they recruit you, Pornsak.

Yep, he was awesome at Vertigo, they are foolish to let him go to Marvel (or elsewhere).

Rain Partier

BlueStreak wrote:Well, shit. Besides having one of the most awesome names in comics, Pornsak Pichetshote edited all awesome books. He even managed to keep Grant Morrison reigned in for Joe the Barbarian.

Best of luck at Marvel when they recruit you, Pornsak.

Yep, he was awesome at Vertigo, they are foolish to let him go to Marvel (or elsewhere).

"Being offended is not to be confused with a state of grace; it’s the occasional price we all pay for living in an open society." -- Ian McEwan

Staff Writer

When I first read the news blurb on CBR I was first relieved that it seemed like that none of the really "big fish" were let go.

Then I read the Article attached to the blurb and my apprehensiveness began to rise YET AGAIN. Not only do they let go the editor of their Graphic Novel line (which I honesty thought was going to be a big player in one of the directions I saw the company going in), they let go of the editor of Vertigo's 2 breakout hits in 2009, along with the one of the main editors of the Vertigo Crime line.

Welcome to another piece of bad news for Veritgo, ladies and gentlemen. It just seems like 2010 has been a year of just flinging piece after piece of crap flung in the way of an Imprint that least deserves it. I really hope that DCE is going to compensate for all of this news at some point, because it seems like every step they take, the situation gets worse.

Staff Writer

When I first read the news blurb on CBR I was first relieved that it seemed like that none of the really "big fish" were let go.

Then I read the Article attached to the blurb and my apprehensiveness began to rise YET AGAIN. Not only do they let go the editor of their Graphic Novel line (which I honesty thought was going to be a big player in one of the directions I saw the company going in), they let go of the editor of Vertigo's 2 breakout hits in 2009, along with the one of the main editors of the Vertigo Crime line.

Welcome to another piece of bad news for Veritgo, ladies and gentlemen. It just seems like 2010 has been a year of just flinging piece after piece of crap flung in the way of an Imprint that least deserves it. I really hope that DCE is going to compensate for all of this news at some point, because it seems like every step they take, the situation gets worse.

Last edited by SilverPhoenix on Tue Sep 28, 2010 10:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

"It is often forgotten that (dictionaries) are artificial repositories, put together well after the languages they define. The roots of language are irrational and of a magical nature." - Jorge Luis Borges, Prologue to "El otro, el mismo."

"Corruptus In Extremis"

"I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library." Jorge Luis Borges

OMCTO

When I first read the news blurb on CBR I was first relieved that it seemed like that none of the really "big fish" were let go.

Then I read the Article attached to the blurb and my apprehensiveness began to rise YET AGAIN. Not only do they let go the editor of their Graphic Novel line (which I honesty thought was going to be a big player in one of the directions I saw the company going in), they let go of the editor of Vertigo's 2 breakout hits in 2009, along with the one of the main editors of the Vertigo Crime line.

Welcome to another piece of bad news for Veritgo, ladies and gentlemen. It just seems like 2010 has been a year of just flinging piece after piece of crap flung in the way of an Imprint that least deserves it. I really hope that DCE is going to compensate for all of this news at some point, because it seems like every step they take, the situation gets worse.

I hope DC launches another 15 monthly Bat titles to compensate for the cutbacks at Vertigo.

When I first read the news blurb on CBR I was first relieved that it seemed like that none of the really "big fish" were let go.

Then I read the Article attached to the blurb and my apprehensiveness began to rise YET AGAIN. Not only do they let go the editor of their Graphic Novel line (which I honesty thought was going to be a big player in one of the directions I saw the company going in), they let go of the editor of Vertigo's 2 breakout hits in 2009, along with the one of the main editors of the Vertigo Crime line.

Welcome to another piece of bad news for Veritgo, ladies and gentlemen. It just seems like 2010 has been a year of just flinging piece after piece of crap flung in the way of an Imprint that least deserves it. I really hope that DCE is going to compensate for all of this news at some point, because it seems like every step they take, the situation gets worse.

I hope DC launches another 15 monthly Bat titles to compensate for the cutbacks at Vertigo.

Rain Partier

Yep. After the initial announcement it seemed like a lot of folks thought this restructuring wasn't going to change much, and I was shaking my head and waiting for the other shoe to drop. A company does this to save a lot of money, and in that a lot of heads roll and good people do get let go all the time.

Yep. After the initial announcement it seemed like a lot of folks thought this restructuring wasn't going to change much, and I was shaking my head and waiting for the other shoe to drop. A company does this to save a lot of money, and in that a lot of heads roll and good people do get let go all the time.

"Being offended is not to be confused with a state of grace; it’s the occasional price we all pay for living in an open society." -- Ian McEwan